Veal

>>Goulashis my favorite meat stew, no matter which protein is used – beef, veal, pork, poultry or game. The texture, color, and flavor have great appeal to me.
While there are of course different ways of preparing goulash, as well as different recipes, the main mark of a good goulash is to use the same amount of onions as protein, a great amount of sweet paprika powder for color and texture (sometimes hot paprika is added), as well as a special season mix of 1/3 thyme, 1/3 caraway seeds, and 1/3 lemon peel (yellow part only), all finely chopped and added to the meat while sauteing, to impart a rich, un-mistaking goulash-flavor. Of course, salt and pepper is a must.
Naturally, as with most dishes that have been around that long, there are dozens of variations,- you can add (or not) garlic, rosemary, bell peppers, potatoes, marjoram, red wine, bell peppers (zigeuner goulash) and even sauerkraut (Szegediner goulash). Also very popular is goulashsuppe (goulash soup). The big difference between preparing goulash and a regular stew is that for goulash, the onions are sautéed first until broken down and lightly colored, THEN the meat is added, and sautéed until all liquid has evaporated.
Because of the collagen in the meat, as well as the large amount of onions and ground paprika, no flour is needed to thicken the sauce.
Best enjoyed with pasta, goulash can also be served with rice, bread dumplings or potato dumplings, mashed potatoes, croquette potatoes, roast potatoes or just plain rustic bread.
Myself, I enjoy any type and version of goulash, paired with any good side dish that’s available 🙂>Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !>>Click here to read all about “Original Hungarian Goulash”,
as well as its History and Evolution through the Centuries.>Click here for Hungarian Beef Goulash on ChefsOpinion>Click here for GoulashSoup on ChefsOpinion>Click here for more Goulash on ChefsOpinion>>>

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One of my first childhood memories involving food is about Schnitzel. When visiting a restaurant with my parents in my earliest years, more often than not at least one person of the family/group at the table ordered a schnitzel, sometimes everybody. There was a wide variety of schnitzel available, even in the most simple and down to earth “Gasthaus” (Inn), served with spaetzle, noodles, knoedel, potato salad, rice, mashed potato, mixed salad, rolls or just plain farmers-bread.
It could be sauteed or fried; with elaborate garnish (Hollsteiner Art), complicated or simple sauce, or breaded (Wiener Art).>>Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !>>Click here for more Schnitzel on ChefsOpinion>Click here for more Breaded Protein on ChefsOpinion>>
Excerpt from Wiki:
“A schnitzel is meat, usually thinned by pounding with a meat tenderizer, that is fried in some kind of oil or fat. The term is most commonly used to refer to meats coated with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs, and then fried, but some variants such as Walliser Schnitzel are not breaded. Originating in Austria, the breaded schnitzel is popular in many countries and made using either veal, mutton, chicken, beef, turkey, reindeer, or pork. It is very similar to the French dish escalope, and the milanesa of Uruguay and Argentina.”>>P.S.Read more (a lot more 🙂 ) about Schnitzel at the bottom of this page !>>>>>>>>Preparation : To read instructions, hover over pictures To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures>>>

Gemischter Salatteller (Mixed Salad)

pork cutlets

pound the cutlets between plastic film into thin schnitzel, season with kosher salt and cayenne pepper, dredge in a/p flour

saute schnitzel in 3 tblsp peanut oil or clarified butter until cooked through

according to your appetite, add 1 or 2 ea schnitzel, top with a generous amount of sauce/peppers

Schnitzel vom Schweinerücken „Zigeuner Art“

Schnitzel vom Schweinerücken „Zigeuner Art“

Schnitzel vom Schweinerücken „Zigeuner Art“

Schnitzel vom Schweinerücken „Zigeuner Art“

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Excerpt from Wiki:

Worldwide schnitzels

The English term schnitzel means in general all types of breaded, fried flat pieces of meat. Due to the similarity between schnitzel and escalope, in many of the countries listed below, people sometimes refer to schnitzels as escalope, and vice versa.

South America

Australia

Beef (which may be veal) and chicken schnitzel are both very popular dishes in Australia, particularly in pubs where they are among the most widely available meals. Chicken schnitzel (less so beef) is also sold at many take-away establishments.

At pubs, schnitzel is typically accompanied by chips (French fries), salad, and sometimes bacon. Plain and parmigiana schnitzels are sometimes respectively known by colloquial names “Schnitty”, “Schnitter”, and “Parma” or “Parmie”.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the dish is called Bečka Šnicla or Bečki Odrezak (Bečki = “Viennese”; Šnicla = transliteration of GermanSchnitzel) and is made of veal or beef and usually served with mashed potatoes. Common garnishes include a slice of lemon or some lettuce.

Brazil

In Brazil, such preparations, designated à milanesa (Milanese-style), are quite common, especially in the more European-influenced southern half of the country. The meats of choice are beef or chicken, while veal and pork are relatively rare.

Bulgaria

Called шницел (shnitsel), it is made from ground veal, formed as a thin patty, seasoned with salt and black pepper, then breaded and fried. The dish usually is served with a choice of mashed or roasted potatoes, French fries, or simply a tomato salad. It is common at truck stops, and it is usually ordered à la carte, coming with a lemon wedge, but one can also find it in the frozen sections in supermarkets or premade and ready to cook.

China

In Shanghai, 炸猪排 (pronounced “Zha Zhu Pai” in Mandarin, “Za Zi Ba” in Shanghainese), literally a fried pork chop, is made by a piece of pork, beaten, floured and breaded then fried. It is usually served with Worcestershire Sauce, 辣酱油 (“La Jiang You”). Although originally a western cuisine, it is widely available as a street snack in Shanghai.

Colombia

Schnitzel presentations are called chuleta in Colombia. They are composed of flat pieces of chicken, veal, or mostly pork, covered with flour, and then deep-fried. The chuleta is a traditional dish of the Valle del Cauca region.

Croatia

In Croatia, the dish is called Bečki odrezak (šnicl) (Bečki = “Viennese”; šnicl = transliteration of German Schnitzel) and it is made of pork and served with French fries. Common garnishes include a slice of lemon or some lettuce. A similar dish is called Zagrebački odrezak (šnicl) (a variation on cordon bleu).

Czech Republic

Schnitzel is also very popular in the Czech Republic, where it is known as a smažený řízek or just řízek, and is made of pork, chicken, or veal. It is often served with boiled or mashed potatoes or potato salad. It also used to be—and to some degree still is—a typical packed lunch for day trips, when it was consumed with bread (often between two slices of bread as a sandwich). During the communist period, a deep-fried breaded hard cheese called smažený sýr (literally, “fried cheese”) became popular, mainly among the youth and students, especially served with tartar sauce, a slice of lemon, and boiled new potatoes with melted butter and parsley greens.

Denmark

In Denmark, the dish is called skinkeschnitzel when made of pork and wienerschnitzel when made of veal, and is usually served with fried potatoes, gravy, green or snow peas, and a “boy” (dreng in Danish) consisting of a lemon slice topped with capers, horseradish, and a slice of anchovy.

Egypt

In Egypt, the dish is called Boftek. It is made of veal, and is usually served with pasta, rice, or greens.

Finland

In Finland, the dish called Wieninleike (“Viennese cutlet”), is almost always made of pork, breaded and fried like the original. It is usually served with French fries, potato mash, or wedge potatoes. A slice of lemon, a slice of anchovy, and a few capers are placed on top of the cutlet. Usually, the dish also includes a small amount of salad made from fresh vegetables. The dish was extremely popular between the end of the Second World War and the 1990s, when it could be found in virtually any low-end restaurant across Finland. In the past decades, its popularity has been dimmed by the rise of fast food.

However Wieninleike and its different variations remain a staple of menus in virtually any non-ethnic or fine dining restaurant in Finland. Lunch restaurants, different highway resting places and restaurants attached to gas stations are most prominently associated with this type of menu in Finland.

Oskarinleike served with choron-sauce, shrimps or lobster, and asparagus

Oopperaleike served with fried egg

Sveitsinleike is filled with smoked ham and Emmentaler cheese

Typically all dishes above are prepared out of pork.

Germany

In Germany, Schnitzel is usually made of pork, although turkey and veal are also common. It is usually served with French fries, potato mash, or wedge potatoes. The dish has been extremely popular since the end of the Second World War.

In German-speaking countries, the term Schnitzel means cutlets in general, not just breaded, fried ones.

Jägerschnitzel (hunter’s schnitzel) is a schnitzel with mushroom sauce. Depending on the region of Germany and personal taste, it may or may not be breaded. (Jägerschnitzel may also refer to an eastern German variant made of Jagdwurst, which originated in the former East Germany.)

Münchner Schnitzel (Munich schnitzel) is a variation on the Wiener Schnitzel prepared with horseradish and/or mustard before coating in flour, egg and bread crumbs.

Naturschnitzel (natural schnitzel) is a peppered and salted schnitzel with no sauce or only a simple sauce (e.g., pan drippings, to which sour cream may be added).

“Pariser Schnitzel is similar to a Wiener Schnitzel but is floured and fried in an egg batter without breadcrumbs.

Rahmschnitzel (cream schnitzel) is a schnitzel with a cream sauce, often containing some mushrooms.

Vegetarisches Schnitzel (vegetarian schnitzel) is a meatless pattie made from soy, tofu, or seitan.

“Walliser Schnitzel” is a variant most popular in Switzerland in which the meat is not breaded, but is fried in oil and then coated with tomato sauce and raclette cheese.

Hungary

Hungarian schnitzel with nokedli

Due to the strong Austrian influence of the Austro-Hungarian era, Wiener schnitzel is very popular in Hungary, known as bécsi szelet (Viennese slice), borjú bécsi(Viennese veal) or rántott hús (breaded meat). It is served in restaurants, and is a common meal in Hungarian homes, prepared often on Sundays or for festivities with spätzle, French fries, mashed potatoes, or rice. Alternatively, green peas or other vegetables can be used as side dish. Bread and salad (or pickles) often accompany the meal. Some restaurants offer the cordon bleu variant, a slice of schnitzel rolled and filled with cheese and ham.

India

In India, it is simply known as Kabob, meat that is beaten and layered in flour and masalas and pan seared.

Iran

Schnitzel is popular in Iran, where it is known as shenitsel (Persian: شنیتسل‎‎). Thought to have been introduced in Persia during the World Wars, shenitsel is usually thicker, bigger, spicier, and fried with a more crispy breading than the standard schnitzel. It is customarily served with lemon, French fries, and a variety of boiled vegetables.

Another Iranian dish, kotlet (Persian: کتلت‎‎), should not be confused with shenitsel. They are small, oval-shaped patties made by deep-frying a mix of ground meat, onion, potato, and herbs.

Israel

Israeli schnitzel

In Israel the dish is called Schnitzel (Hebrew: שניצל‎‎, shnitsel, or rarely as Hebrew: כתיתה‎‎, ktita). It is a very popular food in Israeli cuisine. The meat is typically chicken or turkey breast, in conformance with dietary kashrut laws, which do not allow pork to be used. Additionally, clarified butter, the preferred cooking fat for Austrian Wiener Schnitzel, is impermissible for kosher use, as it is a dairy product forbidden from use with meat; vegetable oils are therefore preferred. Before frying, the schnitzel is coated with a mixture of beaten eggs and bread crumbs, sometimes spiced with paprika or sesame seeds. The Israeli schnitzel is usually served with mashed potatoes, French fries, rice, or pasta, accompanied by ketchup, hummus, or vegetable salad.

The schnitzel tradition was brought to Israel by Ashkenazi Jews coming from Europe, among them some of German origin. During the early years of the state of Israel, veal was not obtainable,[citation needed] and chicken or turkey proved to be inexpensive and tasty substitutes. Packaged schnitzels are widely available from the frozen food section in most supermarkets. Some frozen schnitzels are breaded patties made from processed chicken or turkey meat, not whole poultry breasts.

Schnitzel is also sold inside a pita, alongside hummus, French fries and vegetable salad, in a similar way to falafel. Many falafel stands also offer a schnitzel in a pita.

Japan

Tonkatsu

Japanese tonkatsu (豚カツlit. “pork cutlet”) consists of a flattened pork loin, lightly seasoned, coated in flour, dipped in beaten egg, coated with panko crumbs and finally deep fried. Tonkatsu is often served as an accompaniment to ramen or udon or featured with curry and rice.

Pork tonkatsu was invented in Japan in 1899 at a restaurant called Rengatei in Tokyo.It was originally considered a type of yōshoku—Japanese versions of European cuisine invented in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—and was called katsuretsu (cutlet) or simply katsu. Variations include the use of pork fillet (hirekatsu), chicken (chicken katsu), beef (gyūkatsu), ham (hamukatsu) and minced meat (menchi-katsu).

Korea

In Korean cuisine, pork (donkasu, from Japanese tonkatsu), chicken (chickenkasu), and beef (beefkasu) cutlets are popular. The most common types of donkasu are “kyeongyangsik”(경양식; Western-style) and “ilbonsik”(일본식; Japanese-style).

Republic of Macedonia

In the Republic of Macedonia, the dish called шницла (shnitzla) is a piece of beef seasoned with salt and black pepper, breaded and fried. Typically, it is served with mashed or fried potatoes with green salad garnish.

Mexico

Mexican milanesa

In Mexico, this dish, called milanesa or carne empanizada, consists of a thin slice of beef, chicken, veal, or sometimes pork, and even eggplant or soy. Each slice is dipped into beaten eggs, seasoned with salt, and other condiments according to the cook’s taste (like parsley and garlic). Each slice is then dipped in bread crumbs (or occasionally flour) and shallow-fried in oil, one at a time. Some people prefer to use very little oil and then bake them in the oven as a healthier alternative.

Namibia

Schnitzel, both chicken and pork, is common in Namibia due to the German colonial history. A majority of the restaurants in Windhoek, Walvis Bay, and Swakopmund offer it on their menus, often topped with a fried egg and accompanied by potato salad. It is often eaten in a Brötchen (German sandwich roll) with tomatoes, cheese, and other dressing.

Netherlands

In The Netherlands (and Belgium) the schnitzel, mostly made of pork is very popular. Mostly served with fries and vegetable salad. Also very popular is the ‘Zigeunerschnitzel’, served with paprika. A typical Dutch variant is the ‘gehaktschnitzel’, a schnitzel made of minced meat. Very popular too is the ‘Cordon blue’ (Blue ribbon). In Holland every butcher has his own variants.

Poland

Kotlet schabowy is a classical and most popular recipe for boneless pork chop or pork tenderloin. It is also made from chicken.

Portugal

In Portugal, schnitzel is called bife panado or just panado (“breaded”). Different varieties of panado can be made with chicken (panado de frango), turkey (panado de peru), pork (costeleta panada for pork chop, febra panada for pork without bone), or veal (escalope de vitela panado). The meat is usually seasoned with black pepper, garlic, and lemon juice. It is commonly served with spaghetti, fried potatoes, or rice (plain or with beans). It is also popular as a sandwich, served in a bun with lettuce (sandes de panado).

Romania

Romanian șnițel (pronounced [‘ʃni.t͡sel]) is very common in restaurants, fast-food places, and homes across the country. Normally served simple and unadorned, the fast food version is differentiated by being served sandwich/burger style. Cordon bleu șnițel (made from pork loin stuffed with cheese and ham) is also very popular. The Romanian șnițel is made in the same manner as the Austrian one, but as a local characteristic is made of almost any type of meat (chicken, pork, veal or beef).

A specialty from western Romania is the mosaic șnițel made of two thin meat layers (usually each layer of different meat) and a vegetable (usually mushroom) filling. Also a recipe for șnițel de ciuperci, a mushroom fritter, is common.

Russia

In Russia, the dish is called отбивная (otbivnaya), which literally means a piece of meat that has been beaten. Russian cuisine includes recipes of schnitzel prepared from pork, as well as beef, veal, and chicken.

Serbia

In Serbia, the dish is called bečka šnicla (Viennese schnitzel). A local urban legend states the dish originated in Serbia and not in Austria, but no one can say why. In Serbia, word Schnitzel is used to describe for any cutlet, not just breaded meat.

Slovakia

Schnitzel is highly popular in Slovakia, a country bordering Austria, where it is referred to as vyprážaný rezeň. or simply rezeň (in the Western parts colloquially also schnitzel). It is often made of pork or chicken, and is typically served with fried potatoes (not peeled), boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, fries (especially in canteens), potato salad, or rice.

Slovenia

Schnitzel is called dunajski zrezek, meaning Viennese-style cutlets (Vienna is Dunaj in Slovenian). It is served with sauerkraut and boiled potatoes. Restaurants serving the dish can be found throughout the country, though typically it is made of pork or chicken. In Slovenia, a similar dish is called ljubljanski zrezek (after Ljubljana, the country’s capital).

South Africa

Schnitzels are popular in South Africa, due to the European heritage in the country. Chicken schnitzels and cordon bleu schnitzels are a common item on most restaurant menus and hospitals, and in recent years, beef and pork schnitzels have also become widely available.

Spain

Schnitzel in Spain is escalope empanado and is usually made with veal. For generations it was enjoyed, together with potato omelets, on family picnics in the countryside.

Sudan

In Sudan, the dish called buftek is made of veal or fish, and is usually served with rice and salad or as a sandwich.

Sweden

In Sweden, the dish is called schnitzel or Wienerschnitzel, and is made most commonly of pork, and is often decorated with a caper-filled circle of either genuine anchovies or the Swedish “fake” ansjovis (made of brine-cured sprats). It is served with rice, fries, or boiled potatoes, and green peas.

Switzerland

Schnitzel, Schnipo, Wienerschnitzel, and Rahmschnitzel are all popular dishes in Switzerland. Schnipo (a schnitzel and fried potato combination) is quite popular.The Rahmschnitzel version is made with either veal or pork and topped with a cream sauce, sometimes including mushrooms. The cordon bleu variant of schnitzel – two slices of schnitzel (or one with a pocket) filled with cheese, typically Emmentaler or Gruyere, and a slice of ham – is also popular in Switzerland.

Turkey

In Turkey, the dish is spelled schnitzel,şinitzel, or şnitzel, and pronounced in a similar way to German. It is made of chicken, and is usually served with rice, French fries, or pasta. Sometimes, it may have grilled cheese in it. It is often cooked at home, as it is an easy-to-do kind of food, but most restaurants have it on their menus.

Ukraine

In West Ukraine (former Habsburg Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria), it is known as шніцель shnitsel′; in the rest of the country, it is called as відбивна vidbyvna. It is usually made of pork, or sometimes chicken.

United States

The pork tenderloin sandwich, popular in the Midwest, is made from a breaded pork tenderloin and is very similar to schnitzel. Chicken fried steak, similar to country fried steak, is another name for schnitzel, especially in the southern states. It is usually served with white gravy (“country gravy”), which is the type of gravy used in “Sausage Gravy over Biscuits” but without the sausage in it.

Similar foods

Other variants of the schnitzel, not all necessarily made with a bread crumb crust, include:

Escalope: A piece of boneless meat that has been thinned out using a mallet, rolling pin, or beaten with the handle of a knife, or merely ‘butterflied’. Although it is usually a thinner cut of meat than found in a schnitzel, the meat of an escalope is also usually coated with flour, beaten eggs and bread crumbs, and then fried.

Valdostana: Very similar to the cordon bleu, but cheese and ham are not inside but on the top, this dish is from an alpine region in Italy, the Val d’Aosta.

Chicken Kiev is unpounded chicken breast rolled around butter and sometimes garlic, then breaded and cooked in a manner similar to Cordon Bleu.

Milanesa Napolitana: This River Plate variant, very popular in Argentina and Uruguay, is made from a beef schnitzel topped with ham, marinara sauce (tomato and garlic), and local mozzarella, then grilled to melt the cheese, usually served with French fries (British – chips).

Singapore Hainanesepork chop: Served in a gravy with tomatoes, potato wedges, onions and peas, it can be enjoyed with steamed rice and chilli sauce.

>Shank’s of beef, veal, lamb, or game is perfectly suitable to be braised slowly in wine. The cooking liquid and gentle heat of slowly simmering breaks down the collagen, producing a wonderful texture and great flavor, unlike any other part of the animal. One can use the shank meat for stews, soups, goulash, bulalo, braised whole, or, as shown here, braised sliced/cross-cut. But remember, no matter which dish or cooking method you choose, DO NOT overcook the meat. A big part of the appeal of shank is the superb texture of a tender, but NOT falling apart piece of muscle meat. Therefore, simmer the shank very slowly. It might take a long time, (after all the shank is pure muscle), but you will be rewarded with a spectacular texture and mouthfeel which no other cut of meat possesses 🙂>Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !> >Click here for Bulalo on ChefsOpinion<Click here for more Shank on ChefsOpinion>Click here for more Beef on ChefsOpinion> >P.S.
Traditionally, the bone marrow is incorporated into the sauce.>P.P.S.
But, also traditionally, the wise cook steals the bone marrow and prepares himself a great snack of “Bone Marrow On Toast” 🙂 .>
>

>>Soup……….(Excerpt from “FoodTimeline”).
Food historians tell us the history of soup is probably as old as the history of cooking. The act of combining various ingredients in a large pot to create a nutritious, filling, easily digested, simple to make/serve food was inevitable. This made it the perfect choice for both sedentary and travelling cultures, rich and poor, healthy people and invalids. Soup (and stews, pottages, porridges, gruels, etc.) evolved according to local ingredients and tastes. New England chowder, Spanish gazpacho, Russian borscht, Italian minestrone, French onion, Chinese won ton and Campbell’s tomato…are all variations on the same theme.
Soups were easily digested and were prescribed for invalids since ancient times. The modern restaurant industry is said to be based on soup. Restoratifs (wheron the word “restaurant” comes) were the first items served in public restaurants in 18th century Paris. Broth [Pot-au-feu], bouillion, and consomme entered here. Classic French cuisine generated many of the soups we……read more about Soup here>.
Many years ago when Maria and I visited one of my friends in Germany, Carlo (better known in Germany’s food community as “Kräuter-Carlo” aus Trebenow), served us this great soup which has stayed in my repertoire for home cooked comfort food ever since. It is so tasty and the texture so pleasant that every time I prepare a large pot full in order to be able to re-heat it in batches in the next few days, I usually end up finishing most of the whole pot right then and there :-).>Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !>>

>>Usually we use this cut of the animal to make Osso Buco (originally done with veal shanks), but I love me a hearty soup more than anything else, so I decided to prepare this dish with some pork shanks my friend Curtis dropped off last time he came to visit. Great, simple dinner, bursting with flavor and texture 🙂>Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !>

>>How to pronounce Velouté – click here>Here is a “Daughter” (added cream) version of one of the two white mother sauces (the other being Sauce Béchamel)
If you love to cook or just starting to learn, being able to prepare the mother sauces is a must.
The five french mother sauces are:
Sauce Béchamel, Sauce Espagnole, Sauce Hollandaise, Tomato Sauce, and Sauce Velouté.
Adding cream and lemon juice (and originally egg yolk) to a sauce made of stock, flour and butter will produce a “Sauce Allemande”
We have learned how to make tomato sauce in a previous “easy does it” blog, so let’s go straight to “Sauce Allemande”

>>Here is how old I am:
When I got to name a new dish and it has pineapple in it, the first thing that comes to mind is “ala Hawaii”, just like in the good old day’s when everything was more simple and less complicated. What can I say, old habits die hard 🙂However, this garnish of pineapple, tomato and scallion in red wine cream suited the veal liver perfectly and I thoroughly enjoyed it for tonight’s dinner.

Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !>

Sauteed Veal Liver “Hawaii”

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dust slices of veal liver with flour, saute in peanut oil until done to your liking. One minute before done, discard oil and replace with fresh butter, season with salt and pepper, remove liver to absorbent paper

>>This exact dish was my daily breakfast staple for a few months back in 1975, when I spend extended time vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
At that time, Puerto Vallarta was still a smallish, sleepy city with few hotels and minimal night life. Puerto Vallarta became internationally famous after American director John Huston filmed his 1963 film The Night of the Iguana in Mismaloya, a small town just south of Puerto Vallarta. I still have a photo from 1975 which I took on the beach where Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were having their “sexy” beach scenes. It was basically a deserted piece of beach where only a few hippies and locals hung out. In the shot I took, there are as many pigs as people roaming the beach.
Times and Puerto Vallarta sure have changed since then 😦
However, at the time, the group of friend’s I spent most night’s with was a show band from Ireland named “Los Irlandeses”. They performed at the night club of the only 5-star hotel in town, the Westin Hotel, located on a small beach just outside of town. Their show started at around 11.00pm five times a week and that’s when and where I usually started my evening. They made sure to talk to me from the stage when I got there during the show and treated me as if I were a VIP. Since this was the hottest place in town, this little game made sure that by the time the show ended at around 1.00 am, there were already a few groupies sitting on my table, ready to party with the guy’s from the band and I.
We usually partied until 6.00 or 7.00 am (we were very young and sleeping during the day when it was hot made sense. Only the tourists came for a tan 🙂
So, at that time of the day, we usually went to a restaurant/bar in an area close to the beach which served great food (all food was good at that time of day). Almost all the time my best friend at the time who was the drummer of the band and I ended up ordering the same dish, day after day – Milanesa, accompanied by guacamole, salsa mexicana and fried egg’s, washed down with a few Dos Equis beers.
This was the usual daily before going to bed ritual. The Getting out of bed ritual in the late afternoon usually involved a couple of dos equis and a mexican style chicken and lime soup, containing shredded chicken, rice, vegetables and lots of cilantro.
So there you have it : Milanesa Mexicana and a few memories 🙂

>>When I was an apprentice in the black forest in the sixties, “Veal Chop Milanese” (Kalbskotelett Mailänder Art), a slightly different version of the milanesa on this post, was a very popular dish. It was one that I was hoping to be able to afford to eat when I finally became a cook and earned a bit of money. It was a bread and parmesan breaded, ham and cheese stuffed chop of milk-fed veal, typically served on top of spaghetti with tomato sauce. However, while still an apprentice, a veal chop was out of my financial reach and so I had to wait a few years before I could actually afford to dig into one. In the meantime, the far more affordable version was made of a breaded pork chop instead of milk-fed veal. Great food too, but not exactly the real thing 😦
Here now is my own version of a “Schweinesteak Mailänder Art” :>>Bon Appetit ! Life is Good !>>